i have a hive with very little honey for the winter (i'm in tx so i'm hoping they will make it) so i gave them a few gallons of sugar water. i check it the day after i place the top feeder but no bees were up there. does it take time for them to make their way up there for the sugar syrup?
First thing is to put some honey in sugar liquid, or honey in the space they suc sugar.
The last thing is to pour liquid straight into empty frames and this, full on sugar framers to the lowest box of hive. Bees lift the sugar to upper box during a week.
When I feed winter sugar, hive take 20 kg sugar during one week. If weather is cold, bees go to the ball and stop sucking somethimes. Honey usually helps.